Alabama

Well, it's been about a week and a half since arriving in Northern Alabama and I have to say that I quite enjoy life on a farm. There is definitely something to be said for working with your hands to produce a crop that will go on to feed many.

It is actually quite a wonder to experience such vast tracts of farm land and consider the sights and sounds of an African village where living from day to day off the meager bounty of the backyard forest. I think that we fail to comprehend how significant our standard of living in the Western world is. Not only that, but I didn't quite understand what farming meant here in the States - I'm beginning to understand a little better each day.

It is fascinating to be transplanted into a world much different from that which was familiar. The accent, the warmness of people, the strange foods, the hot-climate culture, the tornadoes, the humidity arriving on the front of a storm - this all without leaving the country.

Life has a way of not turning down a road that I thought may have been the road to take. This is a good season in life, not simply for the poor pun made there, but the spring planting of corn and cotton is beginning to germinate some desires within.

A few more pictures, in addition to those below, can be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/northernwood/AlabamaTennesee?authkey=Gv1sRgCMyypq26gNbWDg&feat=directlink



Planting corn


My responsibility to keep the seed plentiful


Jeremy on the fence and awaiting the cows


Jeremy playing spiderman on the wall with Jamie keeping an eye out


Hanging out and enjoying the view (actually, my forearms were exhausted)


Trying to look like I know what I am doing